Haunted
by kouri
Summary: Chapter 3 UP! AR Battousai, a Watcher from Transience has his eyes set on Kamiya Kaoru. When she moves into her new apartment, she gets more than she bargained for. For one thing, it's haunted! For another, she's being seduced! Pairings: BxK KxK side AxM
1. The Watcher

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin does not belong to me! I am merely using the characters for my own fic ^^ Ooh, don't own Pocari either. 

A/N: I know, I'm nuts to start on yet another fic, when Need to Kill isn't even finished yet. _ But I just *had* to get this down on paper coz I thought it'd make a really good story. Ah…the inspiration came from the song 'Haunted' by Evanescence, and the 'Forbidden Game' trilogy by L.J. Smith. This fic is an AR; an Alternate Reality to the RK storyline, and although it does kinda include some parts of the original manga in the fic, it is way, waaaaay different. Oh, and should I tell you that Battousai and Kenshin are two different people? Anyway, this is a supernatural/romance genre fic, and hope that you enjoy it! Btw, it's rated R for a reason, as you'll see soon enough in the rest of the chapters for yourself ;P Btw, this will be updated whenever I'm done with a chapter or whenever I feel like writing, so sorry in advance, 'kay? Need to Kill still comes first. Without further ado, enjoy the fic! 

Haunted 

Chapter 1: The Watcher 

Alongside the world that humans know as Earth, there is a world known as Transience, filled with beings known only as Watchers and the Elders. As their title befits them, the Watchers watch the many different timelines of humans, for millions exist, and the numbers are far beyond what we could ever imagine. The data received from the timelines is then given to the Elders, who then proceed to do as they wish with the 'lines, changing situations, lives and whole worlds with their will alone. 

Although Watchers are given much free reign with the many abilities that are given to them, they all suffer from one thing in common: 

Boredom. 

At first, it is a novelty, to watch the lives of humans pass by, while they live on, eternal. Humans are fragile beings to them, here in one minute of Transience time, gone in the next. But some Watchers, however, may just become more fascinated as time goes by, loving their only source of entertainment, and so, slowed the timeline to their liking as they pleased. So it surprises none that sometimes Watchers develop certain attachments to the worlds, or timelines that they Watch, and at times even individuals, known only as Addictions. There is no rule in the Watcher's book that states that Addictions with individuals are not allowed, but sometimes these may cause the Watcher to interfere with the timeline of the world that they watch, and this is strictly forbidden by the Elders. 

Yet, tales of Watchers who have fallen in love with mere mortals do exist, and this is one of them. 

~*~ 

_He stood there in the darkness, an unseen wind whipping his long crimson hair into his face, and he pushed the locks out of his face, somewhat annoyed. Yet, his amber eyes were trained on the actions of the young girl with laughing dark blue eyes and long ebony locks. It had been a long time since he had seen her last; a lifetime, to say the least. He inhaled the non-existent breath of air that he had no need to breath, but it was a pleasure he enjoyed that humans didn't seem to notice. Flicking his wrist once, the image of the girl disappeared, and he was once again surrounded in darkness. The overwhelming passion that he had had for her so many hundreds of years ago had not dissipated at all; in fact, it only seemed to have grown stronger. He was well aware of the lust that he held for this human girl, but it wasn't only that._

_Somehow, some way, he had fallen deeply in love with her. _

_And she, in turn, had fallen for him, but not him exactly either. She had loved his Clone. Back in the other timeline, at least that was whom she had fallen for. She had not met his counterpart in this timeline yet. Settling back into what humans would call a 'couch', he sighed as his weight sunk into the plush black cushions, his matching black suit the same colour as his seat. It was only a matter of time before his Clone met up with her again. _

_It had been a game at first, just one of the harmless little experiments to 'mould' a copy of himself into a human and watch his life proceed as any Watcher would do, something that was often used to offlay the boredom that all Watchers experienced, but it had turned into an Addiction that he couldn't seem to get rid off. He had had no trouble with just observing before, but somewhere along the line, _she_ had showed up in his domain, and his fascination with her knew no bounds. Still, as a Watcher, all that he could do was watch the proceedings between his Clone and her with interest, while he, himself, stood alone and cold in the eternity of darkness._

_A cigarette appeared in his left hand, the end igniting easily with the mere glance of his eyes. Putting it to his lips, he took a long drag on it before blowing out the thin white smoke veil. The very human, material objects gave him comfort; he probably would have 'died of boredom' as humans said, if there were no such things. Such was the lonely life of a Watcher. _

_It wasn't as if there were no others like him; quite the contrary really, many female _and_ male Watchers had tried to pursue a 'relationship' with him, some strange enigmatic attraction to him that was purely sexual. He had no interest in such trivial nonsense, for they only wanted to Mate for more power. Among the numerous Watchers who existed, he was one of the Oldest, one of those who had existed since Time itself came into existence. Although he kept a rather low profile, it didn't stop the new ignorant ones or the persistent ones from making a move on him, but it was of no consequence; he would always disappear from their sight, moving to a new Bounder outside of their reach so that they could never find him. Besides, his notorious image as a frequent rule-bender was what made him well known by all the Watchers. After all, he wasn't called Battousai for just his skill with swords alone, something he had picked up from watching humans fight. _

_In his entire existence as a Watcher, there were only two that he could call 'acquaintances': the Wolf himself and Shinomori. The other two Watchers had also held similar interests that he did to the human race, and had made their own Clones to progress with the timeline. It had been amusing really, to watch his Clone fight against the Wolf's Clone. And then of course, there had been his Watcher Master, but he didn't really count. _

_Although the Watchers served nothing more than as a source of information for the Elders, they were nonetheless forbidden to directly interfere with human affairs, with the exception of Clones. He narrowed his eyes in consideration. _

_That one human girl, however, was intriguing enough to make him want to break the rules. A devious smile crept across his lips and the gold in his eyes glinted in the darkness. _

_Maybe he _would_ break the rules._

~*~ 

The door clicked and the knob turned. Kamiya Kaoru entered her new apartment happily, trying to balance a huge heap of boxes in her arms as she tried hard to look over the pile to see where she was going. Setting the boxes down in a corner of the apartment, she smiled to herself, satisfied and proud of the fact that it would be her new home for the next year or so. She had gotten the apartment at a very cheap price, for some unknown reason, and the landlord had even sold it to her, apparently very eager to get rid of it. She shrugged to herself; either way, it didn't really matter now, the apartment was hers after all, and she'd be able to do what she would with it. 

"Oi, jou-chan, where do you want these?" She turned to find Sagara Sanosuke almost squished under a pile of boxes. Her best friend since kindergarten, they had gone through their lives together, but strangely enough, only maintained nothing more than a platonic relationship. Besides, Sanosuke's girlfriend, Megumi, was more than he could handle, and although she was prone to jealous fits sometimes, both the women had an understanding between them that Kaoru thought of Sano as nothing more than an older brother figure. Sanosuke and Megumi were both in the year above her. The pair had started dating in junior year of highschool, and even now, two years later, the couple was still going strong. 

She thought for a moment, then pointed to the clutter of boxes that she had brought in earlier. "Over there, please. I'll just unpack them later." The spiky-haired man obliged, moving to the corner under the heavy weight, making clouds of dust fly when he deposited the load none-too-gently on the floor. 

"Sagara Sanosuke!" Kaoru reprimanded as she coughed hard as a result of the flying dust. "Did you _have_ to do that?" 

"Shit, jou-chan," He rubbed his arms; a sudden coldness seemed to envelop him; was it just him or had the temperature dropped a couple of degrees? "Are the windows open or something? Coz it's fucking freezing." 

She frowned at him. "What on earth are you talking about, Sanosuke? It's perfectly warm." Walking over to him, she put a hand to his forehead to check his temperature, which he promptly tried to avoid. "Maybe you're coming down with something? I think you'd better get Megumi to check it." Megumi was a second year med student, and was already considered their 'family' doctor of sorts; whenever anyone in their clique came down with something, they automatically went to find her. 

He brushed Kaoru's hand away. "Whatever you say Kaoru, but it sure is cold. Brr! I need a hot drink! Come on, let's go to the café first, we can always move the rest of your stuff later." The spiky-haired man made for the front door of the apartment, leaving Kaoru behind. The girl sighed; if she wanted Sanosuke to help her move the rest of her stuff up to the apartment, there was nothing else she could do but follow him; besides, she wanted to have a look around the surrounding area to see where the good restaurants and shops were, since she'd be around for about a year or so. 

She pulled the door shut behind her, turning the key in the lock until she heard the decisive click that told her it was locked. Her footsteps clicked in the corridor of the building as she ran towards the lift that Sanosuke was already in. 

"Hey, hurry up, slowpoke!" Kaoru barely made it to the lift before the doors closed behind him. In retaliation, she stuck her tongue out at him. A soft 'ding' was emitted as they reached the ground floor, and the lift doors opened. Kaoru huffed, stepping out of the lift first before she whirled around to face Sanosuke, jabbing her index finger in his face. 

"You're paying!" 

~*~ 

A spot in the apartment shimmered amongst the dust. If anyone had been watching, they would have said that there had suddenly been a collection of particles in one spot of the room, and then a figure had apparently appeared out of nowhere. The figure shimmered slightly in the light, translucent to the light that shone through the windows. His eyes darted around the apartment, and he sniffed the air slightly, amber eyes narrowed. A positively sensual smile drew across his lips, as he smelt the faint hint of jasmine in the room. His voice was haunting as he spoke to the empty room. 

"Found you at last, Kaoru." 

~*~ 

Kaoru turned in the wicker seat that she had been sitting in, inclining her head towards the window. She frowned slightly to herself; she could have sworn that she had heard someone calling her name. 

"Something wrong?" Sanosuke returned with a mocha latte and a black coffee. He had returned to the table with their drinks, only to find Kaoru staring out of the window, seemingly looking at something that he couldn't see. 

She shook her head, and then smiled. "Nah, just though I heard something. Brain playing tricks on me again." He shrugged, offering her the mocha latte. She took it from him gratefully, long fingers wrapping around the thin plastic cup and drawing in the warmth from it. This time she looked out of the window, purely for the sake of looking at the surrounding that were outside the café. It was a bit of a suburban area, not too quiet, but away from the bustle of city life as well, and she enjoyed it. Kaoru looked out to see children smiling and playing happily in the playground, their mouths opening and closing in happy smiles and laughs as they ran across the compound. 

The area had a beautiful park and enough shops and restaurants to keep her interested; besides, if she ever wanted to go to the city, it was nothing more than a train ride away. She sipped her drink as she turned her eyes back to Sanosuke. He was looking at her expectantly, and she realized that he had asked her a question, that she had not heard at all because she had been so zoned out. 

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" The man rolled his eyes at her in mock exasperation. He was way too acquainted with Kaoru's daydreaming moods, but it was something that he would never exactly get used to. 

"I said: when are you getting a boyfriend?" It was Kaoru's turn to roll her eyes at him. 

"I would have thought that you, Sanosuke, of all people would understand why I don't want to get one at this point in time. For one thing, you know that it would be hard for me to get close to another guy because of…what happened last time, and for another thing, I want to concentrate on my studies." She shook her head slightly at the unhappy memories. 

Sanosuke's eyes softened slightly. "Jou-chan, I know that _he_ was a total bastard, but it's been more than a year now. Surely you've gotten over it by now? And besides, me n' Meg would worry about you, being a new neighbourhood and all. Can't always come over ya know. It would be so much easier if you had another man to look after you." Sanosuke had been a brother figure to Kaoru ever since her parents had died in a car crash, had always been there for her when she needed him. But things were different now. They were adults, and they both need their own space; it was the reason why Kaoru had moved away from Sanosuke's place in the first place. 

Kaoru's eyes burned an angry blue as she retorted. "Something like _that_ is hard to get over Sanosuke." She put her hands on either side of the table, gripping hard onto them as she leaned closer to him. "If something like that ever happened to Megumi, she'd feel the same way too." She hissed at him angrily before settling back slightly into her seat. "And I _don't_ need anyone to look after me. I can look after myself fine. Besides, Misao and Aoshi live around here, so I'll do fine, thank you very much." Her best friend and cousin lived near her, but were currently on a trip with some friends from the restaurant that they worked in. 

Sanosuke winced at her cold tone; him and his blabbermouth had gone too far again. "Jou-chan, you know I wasn't trying to make it sound that way, but still…" 

"I don't need your advice in finding boyfriends, Sagara Sanosuke, and that is final." Her voice was clipped as she gave her reply, but her eyes softened slightly. "I know that you mean well, Sano, but I'm old enough to fight my own battles now. This isn't kindergarten any longer where you can try to protect me from the other bullies." Kaoru looked up and smiled slightly at him. "But thanks, anyway." 

He reached a hand over to ruffle her hair slightly, offering a small smile as form of apology. "Anytime, jou-chan, anytime." He looked at his watch, noting the time. "Well, it'll be time for me to go soon. So let's go back and move that stuff of yours, huh?" Picking up his cup of black coffee, he pushed his chair back and stood. "Meg said she's cookin' something tonight, and I don't wanna get yelled at." 

Kaoru stood too and drained her latte before leaving the empty cup on the table as she followed Sanosuke out of the shop. 

~*~ 

Pulling the refrigerator door open, she reached inside to pull a can of Pocari out. Nudging the door shut with her foot, she settled into one of the stools in the kitchen, tired out from moving stuff around and cleaning up the apartment before she unpacked her stuff. A satisfied sigh escaped her as the cooling liquid went down her throat, a very welcome refreshment to the work that had left her feeling tired. She looked around the kitchen, pleased with how squeaky clean everything was after she had given the place a well needed clean up. Peering at the rest of the living room, she nodded to herself, also happy with the arrangement of the sofa and the TV, courtesy of Sanosuke. 

After vigorously scrubbing the floor that she had claimed as hers, she had laid out the bed sheets and blankets on her new bed, all ready for her to collapse in after she had had her shower. Wrinkling her nose at the smell of sweat, she rose from the stool, chucking her empty can in the trash, then grabbed a towel, T-shirt and panties from her room before entering the toilet. 

Discarding her dirty clothes on the floor of the bathroom, she pulled her hair out of the high ponytail that she kept it up in and stepped into the shower, pulling the shower door shut behind her. Sighing contentedly as the hot jet of water hit her skin, she indulged in the water that flowed over the contours of her body, washing away grime and dirt that had been accumulated during the day. The sound of the shower shut the rest of the world out, and for this, Kaoru was thankful. 

Little did Kaoru know that she wasn't the only one in the bathroom. 

A/N: Love it? Hate it? R&R please ^^ Ooh, yes, and before you go, let me explain some of the key terms that have been, and will be used in this story. 

Transience - the world in which Watchers and Elders exist. 

Watchers – beings who exist in Transience; they do what they are named to do, namely, they watch over numerous human timelines and human worlds that exist. They don't actually have names either, but nicknames are given because there are too many of them to remember all their numbers. 

Elders – nicknamed by the Watchers as 'The Powers that Be'; they exist in Transience along with Watchers, but are more powerful, and they are the ones who are able to create or wipe out timelines or worlds as they wish 

Addictions – prolonged fascination or attachment to worlds, timelines or human individuals. Watchers often joke about this, but human Addictions may be dangerous if the Watcher falls in love with him/her and acts on it. It is strictly forbidden for Watchers to interfere with the timelines or worlds by going into the timeline or world by himself or herself, with the exception of the use of Clones. 

Clones – 'models' made in the image of individual Watchers. Clones can participate in the Watcher's own timeline or world, or if allowed, may participate in another Watcher's timeline or world. The Clones live their lives out in the human worlds just like any other normal human would, something that Watchers envy, because they are not allowed to set foot into the Worlds. Clones also have human life spans, and exist according to the planned out timeline or world. 

Mate – Ah…sexual intercourse for Watchers. Watchers that have just been born into existence may wish to seek out Older Watchers and have sex with them so that they can gain more power. Most of the time, Watchers have sex just for the sake of gaining more power, but some of them only Mate if they have found a partner that they want to be with. 

Older Watchers – Watchers who have been in existence for a long time, and as a result have a lot of power. 

Pocari - ^^ Japanese sports drink thingy that's pretty popular. Something like Lucozade or Gatorade if you *must* know. 

Well then, hope to see people around in the next chapter which will (hopefully) be written soon! Thanks to everyone who bothered to read this! ^^


	2. Tales of Seduction

Disclaimer: Hey, hey, if I owned Kenshin or Battousai, do you think I'd be writing fics about them? XD There's better stuff to be done with them *snicker* 

A/N: Ooh, ^^ glad to see that there actually are people reading my newest effort ^^ hehen~ Oh, btw, just in advance for the rest of this story, I'll tell you now. FYI, in this story there will be: 

a) SMUT! Don't say that I didn't warn you! ;p don't read if you're not of age! Lol. 

b) There are very possibly gonna be quite a few dark parts in this fic, so once again, you've been warned. 

c) OOCness; this is an AU after all, and there will therefore be some differences as to how the characters may act, but essentially, they will be as they always have been. 

d) AR – tis an Alternate Reality, it *does* follow some of the original RK line, but only to a certain extent. 

e) I can't stress this point enough: **Battousai and Kenshin are two _different_ people!** What am I talking about? Oh, you'll see. 

f) Tons of supernatural powers exist in this fic. 

g) Pairings: BattousaixKaoru, KenshinxKaoru, side AoshixMisao, SanoxMegumi. 

Well, having said that, I hope you enjoy this chapter! **LIME **alert! XD Guess who's watching Kaoru in the shower? 

Reviewers' Space! 

Alex – Yup, that I will! Here's the next chapter and thanks for R&Ring! 

Amanda – You really do? ^^ That rocks! Thanks for R&Ring and here's the next chapter! 

MP1 - ^^ Glad that you like it! And ah Clones Clones Clones hee. The truth will all come out as the story progresses. Happy to hear that you like the concept too, and yep, I'll continue! :p Can't wait to see an update on your fic 'Faithfully' too! ^^ Thanks for R&Ring! 

Sapphire-StarLight – I certainly hope so! Yesh, I shall update as much as I can; thanks for R&Ring! 

Schmidie-lee83 – XD It gets better! ^^ Lol, hope you enjoy this chapter too! Thanks for R&Ring! 

Holly (e-mail) – Once again, thanks so much for reviewing! ^^ 

PsychoSushi – Interesting nickname you've got there I've gotta say ^^ sorry, don't mind me. Anyhow, glad that you're enjoying it so far, and well, ;) what can I say? You've got to keep reading to find out whether the Clone version will turn out, ne? XD I'm so evil. All I will say is that they are two different people and yet are not two different people. Confused? All will come clear as the story progresses. Thanks for R&Ring, and hopefully I'll see you 'round in the chapters to come! 

Inu22 - ^^;; Really? Well, hope you keep reading then! Thanks for R&Ring! 

Anime – Glad that you find it interesting so far! Thanks for R&Ring and hope to see you 'round in the updates to come! 

Rekka's Angel – Lol, yesh, another story that I just *had* to start _ It's probably kinda suicidal though, dealing with two fics at one time. But well, I'll live ;) Have I really got you hooked onto this as well? Lol, that rocks then! ^^; thanks for R&Ring and see you around in the next chapter then! 

Cait – Thanks, I'm really glad that you like it! ^^ This story is probably gonna take a while, so hopefully you'll keep reading! Thanks for R&Ring and here's the next chapter! 

Kaoru23 – Lol, hey there girl! Yesh, you are indeed the greatest ^^ *hugs* Thanks so much for R&Ring both fics at once, and I'm really glad that you love it! *gives you some cookies* Thanks once again for R&Ring, and ;) I'm definitely gonna see you again in the chapters to come! XD Mwahah~ 

Leigh4 - ^^;;; I feel as if I've made him into some kind of sex god or something in this! *chuckle* XD but that's a good thing, right? Anyway, I'm glad that you like him the way he is right now, but ooh, there's more to come ^^ Thanks for R&Ring and hope to see you again in the next chapter! 

The Girl Who Cried Oro – Heeeey! XD A reviewer from NTK too! Lol, thanks so much for reading this new fic of mine, and thanks for thinking that I can write! I'll update as soon as I can, and thanks for R&Ring both fics! XD 

Kerrie - ^^; ehen~ Thanks! I'll update it as soon as I've finished writing a chapter, so never fear! More will be coming soon! Thanks for R&Ring! 

Aryana1 – Yup, will update ASAP. XD Hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! Thanks for R&Ring!

LilAzNStar – Thanks for R&Ring, and that I will! 

Aglaia102 – Glad that you're enjoying it so far ^^ Thanks for R&Ring, and here's the next chapter! 

On to the fic! 

Chapter 2: Tales of Seduction 

Thoughts are in ' ' 

Speech is in " "

His amber eyes devoured the sight of her body hungrily, watching each drop of water slide down her body with fascination, wishing that those drops of water were his own hands that were travelling the length of her body instead. His clothes had changed again; this time he was no longer wearing one of the customary black suits that he often wore, but was clothed in form-fitting black leather pants and a navy blue sleeveless vest that showed off his lithe but muscular body perfectly. The leather pants suddenly felt too tight, and he knew very well that it had nothing at all to do with the heat that came from the hot steam of Kaoru's shower, but stemmed rather, from the very delectable sight of Kaoru herself. 

Battousai stood by the mirror in the 'invisible' form that Watchers always took when they decided to walk in the human worlds, reflection in the mirror unseen, and even if Kaoru turned around now, she would have seen nothing unless he Materialized in front of her. Few humans had ever seen Watchers with the naked eye, but some who had spiritual powers very well could, but dismissed them as the other hovering spirits who walked the Earth also unseen. However, Battousai didn't want to Materialize before Kaoru's eyes yet. He would wait for her to get used to his unseen presence in the apartment first before actually Materializing for her to see. A dark smirk curved his lips. 

Just because he wasn't going to Materialize didn't mean that he couldn't claim her yet by fleeting touches or kisses that she would only think were imaginary or just her mind playing tricks on her. His mind made up, he moved towards the shower cubicle in which Kaoru was in, reaching inside without even having to open the door. One of the advantages of being a Watcher was that the rules of physics could be bent to your will too, and so it was that Battousai's arms passed through the glass doors as easily as if they were passing through water. Stepping completely through the glass door and into the hot shower, he allowed his eyes to travel the length of Kaoru's body, eyes taking in every silky curve of her skin. 

She was like one of those 'nymphs' found in Faerie stories; long ebony tresses that flowed down her back, sticking to her body like a second skin; exquisite blue eyes that were squeezed shut now against the cascading jet of water from the shower head. The steam from the hot water created an even more ethereal quality to her, adding to the unearthly beauty that she seemed to possess as the light danced off the shimmering surface of her skin. Her arms were outstretched to the stream of water that gushed like rain from the shower, the nipples of her full breasts erect from being exposed to the air, her cheeks a rosy red from the heat. It took all his willpower to stop from Materializing in the shower right then and there with her and claiming her as his, mind, body and soul. 

Still, he had waited more than a hundred years after all, so what did a few more days or even months mean to him? He could be patient if he wanted to be. Amber eyes blazed with passion as he reached out to caress the skin of her hips. So he wouldn't 'Mate' with her right now…but as for touching her…that was an entirely different thing. 

He would touch her, and he would touch her _now_. 

His fingers barely touched her skin, naught but a fleeting touch, yet he could already hear the small gasp that escaped from her lips unbidden. Flicking his tongue out to taste the skin of her neck he groaned softly at the taste of water mingled with her scent, but was unheard by her. Battousai was standing directly behind her now, one hand reaching across her body to flutter butterfly touches over her abdomen, while the other hand was reaching down, down towards the secret spot between her legs. One finger stroked the line of her sex lingeringly, and he watched in mild amusement through narrowed eyes as her eyes flew open, wide with surprise, the shape of her lips forming a perfect 'o'. 

Unwillingly pulling away from her…for the time being, he returned to his dark realm, only to watch her from there, but not before leaving an Illusion spell. What was the point of not letting her see just who had claimed her? The Illusion spell wouldn't show any signs of his presence there, and the Elders wouldn't be able to argue with that. The temptation to push his fingers inside of her and to hear her screams of ecstasy had been far too close for his liking; that would have to be done another time. 

Kaoru's eyes flew open with the sensation of phantom fingers touching her right _there_ and what felt like an open-mouthed kiss pressed upon her neck. She flushed a bright red, berating herself for having such fanciful thoughts, trying to alleviate the heat that seemed to be building from between her legs and the dizzy desire that almost always came with it. If she hadn't known better, she could have sworn that there had been someone in the shower with her, but only the misty steam surrounded her making the light bend and refract, so it could be nothing more than her tired mind acting up again. Lathering the soap over her body quickly and ignoring the lingering desire, she finished her shower quickly. 

She shivered at the cooler air as she stepped out of the shower cubicle, quickly towelling herself dry, and pulling the T-shirt she had nabbed from her room earlier over her head quickly, then proceeding to pull her panties up her legs. With one towel slung over her shoulder, Kaoru plugged a hair dryer into a nearby socket, weaving her hands through her damp her as she blew it dry. Movement in the corner of her eye made her look at the mirror, and her eyes widened in shock and trepidation at the reflection there. 

_There was someone else in her apartment!_

She stared, dumbfounded at the man who was reflected in her bathroom mirror, entranced by the feral beauty that seemed to surround him. Crimson hair flowed over his shoulders and down his back, and she gulped slightly as her eyes trailed his body from top to toe; he was nothing short of magnificent and her breath caught in her throat as the corners of his lips turned themselves upwards into an arrogant smirk and his eyes – were they amber? – flashed at her. Kaoru blinked once, and he was gone. 

Whirling around to look at the wall behind her, she found nothing there, but her heartbeat was still racing, the pulse throbbing in her chest, her mouth dry. She shook her head vigorously as she rubbed her eyes hard before looking at the wall once again. What did she expect to find? A gorgeous specimen of the male gender who was making her pulse race and giving her mind perverted thoughts? 

Nothing. Only the evaporating mist from the shower lingered there, and there was no sign of a gorgeous man with crimson hair and passionate amber eyes. Kaoru's mind was awhirl with confusion; it had seemed _so_ real! But her eyes didn't deceive her, for there was no one standing there at all. Her feet shifted slowly on the cool tiles of the bathroom floor, and she shivered slightly at the sudden coolness beneath her feet as her fingers touched the wall where her illusionary man had stood. Although the eye contact couldn't have been more than five seconds long, the look of desire and barely veiled passion behind his hooded eyes was already imprinted into her memory. She shivered again; the way he had _looked_ at her! 'Gods!' 

"I can't believe my brain is actually fried enough to think up stuff like that." Kaoru muttered to herself as she slipped her feet into the straw slippers that she wore around the house, flicking the light switch off and turning the exhaust fan on. It was a lost cause, for surely there was _no man on earth_ who could be that gorgeous and still have a perfectly masculine feel about him. She rolled her eyes at herself as she entered her bedroom, sinking her weight slowly onto the bed as she swung her legs up and onto the bed, pulling the blankets around her body. It was still the lingering winter of March, but the new spring of April would be here soon; she enjoyed wearing just an oversized t-shirt and panties to sleep even though it was cold, loving the comfort and sense of home that it gave her. 

Kaoru sighed contentedly as she sank into the soft pillows, the fatigue catching up to her even after a refreshing shower. As her mind drifted off towards sleep, the image of the red-haired man returned and she mumbled a name under her breath that she had not uttered ever since her existence in another timeline. 

"_Kenshin…_" 

~*~ 

_Battousai's lips curved into an upward smile; he had watched her reaction to the Illusion image he had left behind with interest. From the way she had shivered after his image had disappeared and she had touched the wall, he could tell that _he_ wasn't the only one who was feeling an unmistakable attraction; apparently he had had that effect on her too. 'Even if she doesn't recognize it, what I feel for her goes beyond just a mere Addiction. But soon enough,'_

_'She will come to know of it.' _

_He continued to Watch, like he always did, watching her pull her clothes on and exiting the bathroom only to enter her room to sink into the comfort of the inviting bed. Yet another one of the human things that he didn't understand much about; Watchers never felt the need to 'sleep', for they never felt tired, and there never was a need to. The gentle rise and fall of her breathing indicated that she was asleep, and he realized that the temptation touch her, feel her, seduce her, had never been greater than it was now. _

_The slivers of moonlight through the window illuminated her flawless alabaster skin, making her look like nothing less than a sleeping goddess to his eyes. She moved slightly, turning in her sleep, pushing the blanket away from her, and the large t-shirt that she wore slid across her skin as well, baring a naked shoulder to him, as if in silent invitation. _

_Battousai's eyes flared a darker gold, lust coming to surface. His fingers gripped hard into the armrest of the conjured chair he was sitting in, knuckles stark white under his skin. He licked his lips, swallowed hard; even in her sleep she had such a hold over him, the innocent sleeping seductress, so unaware of what she was doing to him. _

_"Damnit." He cursed softly to himself. _

_Bright light flared once and he was gone again. _

~*~ 

The air next to Kaoru's bed shimmered, like a mirage in a desert, and then Battousai Materialized in her room, this time dressed in a casual gray sweater and slacks. His bare feet made no sound as they touched the floor as he descended from air, and he approached her sleeping form on the mattress, amber eyes glowing in the dark, light dying his crimson hair black. For a moment he just stood there, hands in his pockets, just taking in the sight of her, drinking in her beauty. He knew, knew that he shouldn't have Materialized so fast; the Elders would probably get wind of his presence in the timeline soon enough, but he longed to touch her skin again, feel the whisper of her voice, the soft intake of her breath. The mischief of just touching and leaving that he had felt earlier was gone, replaced by a heavier seriousness. 

A heavier need. A need to love. And to be loved in return. 

He hadn't meant to fall in love with her, a mere mortal, but Fate had its way of twisting things around, and this one but one of the fatal results. It was at times like this that he felt as vulnerable as any human would be; the one thing that had given him some semblance of 'life' could also be easily taken away from him. It was ironic, really, the way he would still be alive hundreds, even thousands of years after she died, alone in his dark cold world of nothingness, while she burned bright, all but living a flicker of candlelight, so easily snuffed out. 

Ironic that she knew him, yet knew him not at all. 

Not for the first time since his existence as a Watcher, he wished that he was but one of the mere mortals in one of the many timelines, just living out a simple mortal life, with the ones that he loved. A life filled with warmth and happiness, not eternal darkness and everlasting loneliness. 

Most of all, human life was filled with people, from so many different walks of the world, so many diversities, so very _human_. 

He sighed, fingering a strand of her midnight black hair that was splayed across her pillow. Now here he was again, wanting something that he could never have; how he wished he could trade places with his Clone, what he would give to touch 'real' things, not just conjured fancies that were cheap imitations of the human world. But the thing that would always be the most 'real' to him would be this mortal girl. 

This Kamiya Kaoru. 

He knelt by her bed, one hand braced on the mattress, while his other hand smoothed the locks back from her face, long fingers touching her cheek. She murmured softly in her sleep, face tilting up slightly into the palm of his hand. Battousai smiled slightly at her unconscious reaction to him, thumb ghosting over the closed eyelids, high cheekbones, then the soft lips, a soft light in his amber eyes. Hesitating but for a second, he eased himself onto the bed, lying on his side, propping his head up by one hand. Her bed was large, a queen-sized one, enough for two people to be on it at the same time comfortably. 

His eyes were half-lidded as his finger ran over her lips, parting them slightly, before travelling down her neck, trailing between the valley of her breasts through the shirt and then splaying his hand upon her flat stomach that moved softly as she breathed. He let it lie there for a while, enjoying the sound of her breathing, a calming effect to him, before moving it to her right hip, stroking the skin there softly; her shirt had ridden up when she twisted in her sleep. His fingers slid across the silky skin of her thigh, caressing it. 

She sighed sleepily, unconsciously parting her legs wider. Battousai's eyes glowed dark gold momentarily before lightening again to the usual amber. He whispered a soft growl to her as his hand moved to the inside of her thigh, "Even in your sleep you tease me. I, who should be the one doing the seducing." Chuckling lightly as he moved the hand up to the line of her panties, he continued. 

"It seems to me as if the roles of seduction have been reversed, my sweet." Yet another innocent night time observing routine turned into another tale of seduction. 

A middle finger rubbed softly against the fabric of her underwear, back and forth as he watched her face. Her lips parted as her tongue flicked out to moisten them, teeth sinking into the flesh softly as she bit her lip lightly. Her back arched slightly as her hips thrust upwards to meet his touch. A positively wicked smile stretched his lips as he felt the slight wetness through her panties. He replaced the middle finger with his thumb, rubbing the nub of flesh between her legs. Her knees drew up of their own accord, giving him better access and as he rolled his finger across her clitoris through the fabric, he allowed his thumb to press down slightly into her folds. 

His eyes flickered back to her face as he heard her gasp, running her tongue over her teeth at the pleasure; he wondered if she was dreaming now, some abstract hot dream where an unknown lover pleasured her. Battousai growled softly, moving his thumb faster in circles around the nub as her panties grew damper, her gasps turning into soft moans. The hardness that he felt in his own pants made him rub her harder as he tried to suppress his own desire. Her sharp intake of breath and the increasing wetness of the fabric told him that her pleasure had been fulfilled, and he withdrew his hand from between her legs, pulling her shirt gently downwards before bringing the blankets up over her. 

He froze suddenly as he saw her eyelids flutter open almost sleepily; she was awake! Half-asleep, yes, but still half awake. Pulling up from his spot on the bed, he pressed a kiss to her lips before nipping slightly at her neck. Kaoru's eyes fluttered close again and he breathed a sigh of relief. That was too close for his liking. He had to leave now before she actually woke up and found him there; it would be yet too soon to let her fully know of his presence yet. 'More time,' he thought to himself, 'more time.' 

Battousai bent down to whisper into her ear once more before he returned to his realm again. 

"Sweet dreams, Kaoru." 

He glowed once, then disappeared. 

~*~ 

_Flame from a lighter illuminated the dark, before disappearing again in the flick of a finger. Embers of a cigarette glowed as he blew on it. Dark golden eyes fastened upon the image of the one in the shadows as he came into the light, dark blue eyes almost black._

_"He went to see her, didn't he." It wasn't a question. _

_"Aa." The other replied, blowing of a puff of smoke. _

_"So soon?" _

_"Seems that way. You know how he's always been." He dragged on the cigarette again. _

_"We've got to cover it up before the Elders notice." He was always serious. _

_"Already done." He flicked his wrist once, the ash falling to the obsidian ground. "But you know they won't be fooled for long. He's only got that much of a time limit before his ass gets burned." _

_"Indeed." One word answers were his kind of thing. _

_"We'll just have to keep covering for him until then. After that, it's up to him." His eyes narrowed slightly. "I have to say that this Addiction is really getting to him though. At least last time it wasn't so bad, but this time…" _

_"He can't go back?" _

_"Aa." _

_Pale smoke exhaled again. "It's his funeral." _

_"He won't thank us for this, you know." Blue eyes narrowed in the darkness._

_"As if he ever did." The cigarette smoked out, he let it descend to the floor before crushing it under his foot. "I'm going." The other disappeared back into the shadows from which he had appeared. _

_He remained, feral smile on his features. "It's your choice, Battousai." _

Notes: 

Materializing – Tadah! Yet another one of those fantastic Watcher abilities. They can exist in the human world without showing their physical form to anyone. Materializing means voluntarily allowing a human to see you. 

Mate - :p one word for you people: Sex. Yesh, Watchers can 'Mate' with humans as well, ie. Have sex, but as to whether their powers can be transferred *shrug* still working on it. 

Illusion spell – And yes, Watchers have magic powers too. An Illusion spell can be used to do almost anything, and does its job according to its name: creates an illusion! 

A/N: Woo! Finally done. XD Lol, some lime action there, but don't worry, this ain't all just about sex ne? More of the storyline will come soon, and already you can see that Kaoru is becoming aware of her life in a past timeline. XD Mwahaha~ what will happen next? Stay tuned to find out! Thanks to everyone who R&Red for the last chapter, and to everyone who has read this chapter, do R&R please! 


	3. Belong

Disclaimer: RK does not, and will never belong to me. All rights reserved go to Watsuki Nobutoshi, Sony, and the other respective owners of this wondrous series.

A/N: Wow. It's been forever since I last updated. My first year of university is officially over and I've finally got time to sort out ideas and throw out some chapters for those of you that have been waiting for such a long time. I apologise for the long wait, but a lot has happened this year, and school work practically ate up all of my time. I've also been suffering from some writer's block for both this and Need to Kill, but rest assured, I'm not giving up on either of the stories. Because my second year is going to be a million times more jam-packed with work than my first year was, I'm gonna try my best to finish off both these long-standing stories before the second year starts. However, I can no longer guarantee when I'll churn chapters out, so please bear with me, 'kay? Thank you to all the reviewers and I hope you keep reading! Anyway, before I bore you anymore, let's get on with the story. I present to you chapter 3 of **Haunted**.

Chapter 3: Belong

Her mind awoke in layers; still asleep in a haze of fleeting dreams. The weak ray of sunlight through the window did nothing to help her out of her sleepy countenance. Then suddenly she noticed the feeling of a slight stickiness between her legs and her eyes shot wide open of their own accord. Kaoru awoke to the twilight-like morning, suddenly frightened about the fact that there was an unexplainable wetness in her panties (which was definitely not due to her period; that had just finished about a week ago). Her face blushed tomato-red; could she have had a wet dream last night? She had never experienced anything such as this; had always suppressed the desire to pleasure herself, something that was foreign and taboo to her, stuff that one would see only in ecchi or hentai manga.

The sudden memory of amber eyes the shade of old gold seemed to enter her mind, and she was shocked to find that a wave of desire crashed over her. She shivered, not because of the cold, but because she felt, no she _knew_ that somehow the wetness between her legs had something to do with those beautiful feral eyes that held immeasurable volumes of emotion. It was the first time that _anyone_ – let alone any guy – had made her feel such things. Although her parents had indeed passed away while she was very young, their traditional values had been passed on to her, and she was very much – despite her repeated protests – still the innocent wide-eyed woman-child. Grabbing the terry bathrobe that lay on the chair next to her bed, she wrapped it around herself, hoping that the delicious shudders of pleasure would stop. Kaoru jammed her feet into her slippers and made her way to the bathroom. The little apartment was dark; the winter sun lent little light to the darkness and Kaoru groped around blindly for the switch in the toilet.

Fingers met the flat plastic switch of the toilet and she flicked it on, her eyes scrunching up at the sudden illumination before they adjusted to the bright light. Kaoru brushed the tangles out of her raven black hair, fingers sliding through them carefully before she stopped suddenly to stare at the mirror, blinking to see if she was seeing things. Her hands left the mass of hair as they moved to her neck, fingering at the little red mark there. She edged closer to the mirror, pulling the collar of her T-shirt downwards to make sure that there was actually a mark there.

And there it was, a dark red mark on her white alabaster skin; not so red enough to mar the complexion of her skin, but yet it seemed to her as if she'd been _marked_…

As if she already belonged to someone.

_You are mine…_

* * *

_He almost laughed out loud to himself as he watched her through the sheet of transparent glass again; loving the way she touched his Mark on her, the sweet confusion in her eyes and even the way her bedclothes were tousled. To Battousai, it looked as if she was an angel who had just tumbled out of bed; awake enough to know what was going on around her, but not awake enough to know why things were the way they were. He reached a hand to touch her image, running a finger along her cheek, wishing he could feel her skin again like he had done the night before; the supple tenderness that was her within the circle of his arms._

_His eyes narrowed as he felt another presence in his domain. The image of Kaoru in her bathroom disappeared. The presence was familiar, yes, but at this moment?_

_Quite, **quite** _unwelcome

_"What business do you have here Saitou? I'm busy." The redhead snapped without turning. He pulled a glass of red wine out of thin air._

_The Wolf raised a fine eyebrow. "Aren't you the touchy one today, Battousai."_

_"What's it got to do with you?" His voice was icy cold._

_He shook his head in mock disappointment. "For all your centuries, sometimes you act like one of those spoilt human children, Battousai."_

_"If you just came here to jest, Saitou, I suggest that you leave at once." Battousai's voice was low, almost a hiss in the darkness that enshrouded the two figures. "I am not in the mood to play your games."_

_"Oh, but I play no games, Battousai." It was well-known to the whole Transience that Battousai and the Wolf were always at each other's necks, but were very close friends…if it was ever possible to call them that. "I'm just here to warn you today that the Elders will be on high alert after your intrusion into the Timeline yesterday."_

Shit._ Battousai cursed himself inwardly. He had hoped that his 'small intrusion' into the Timeline he controlled had gone unnoticed, but from what Saitou was currently saying, it didn't seem that way at all. The glass of red wine disappeared from between his fingers as he turned around to face Saitou; amber eyes meeting tarnished gold ones._

_"Did they See?" There was a high chance that Saitou was pulling a bluff on him; even though he'd known the Wolf for centuries on end, he still couldn't, and wouldn't trust him as far as he could throw him. And this applied to the situation at hand as well._

_"Not firsthand. But one of the Elders just so happened to filter through your Timeline last night and might have picked up on some of that girl's memories." The Wolf pulled a cigarette from out of mid-air and the end of the cigarette lit up by itself. He inhaled the smoke, purely for the sake of the scent. Saitou could sense Battousai's tinge of worry; the sardonic smile that lit his face was evidence enough._

_"You're lucky it was your ex-Watcher Master who found it and informed Shinomori and I." Thin smoke veil as he exhaled. Saitou glanced at Battousai for a second; the other Watcher showed no outward sign or acknowledgement of the fact and the Wolf shrugged. Unknown to Saitou, Battousai was relieved to find that he hadn't been found out…even though it _was_ indeed his ex-Watcher Master who had covered up for him._

_"But you'd better watch your ass Battousai. Hiko can't cover up for you forever. The other Elders could find out at anytime, as talented as Hiko may be at hiding things."_

_Amber eyes hardened like glittering stones. "I don't need his help, and neither do I need _**_yours_**_. Now if you'll please excuse yourself and get out of my Bounder, I have important business to intend to that does not concern you at all."_

_Saitou mock-bowed, then moved back into the shadows from which he had appeared. Much as he would love to aggravate Battousai, there were always other times when he could do so. Right now, he wanted to get back to his own Mate._

_Let the great Battousai figure this one out on his own._

* * *

"Kaoru-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!"

The young woman in question hid the small wince that accompanied the great tackling hug from her cousin's love interest that ensued.

"Misao…can't…breathe…" The younger girl meant well, but sometimes she was too boisterous for her own good. Makimachi Misao pulled back slightly to prevent from strangling Kaoru but kept her petite arms around her hair still.

Dark green eyes twinkled at her. The petite girl was a year younger than Kaoru, three years younger than Kaoru's cousin Aoshi, and tremendously hyperactive, as had just been proven. The two young women had met each other during high school, and had bonded together quickly throughout the years. Misao, however, had moved from Tokyo to Kyoto about a year ago, and although the cities were not that far apart from each other, Kaoru had been hard-pressed to maintain constant contact with the younger girl because of her many part-time jobs she held.

It wasn't that Kaoru really needed the money, and it wasn't as if her parents hadn't left a trust fund behind for her, but she wanted to save up some spare money so that she wouldn't eat into the trust fund too much and so that even when she actually started working, she would at least have some money to back her up.

Kaoru smiled at the younger girl and returned a hug, albeit less bone-crushing than Misao's. Aoshi nodded at her in acknowledgement, but said nothing as he watched the young women embrace. To anyone else, Aoshi might have seemed to be a person who seemed cold and uncaring, but Kaoru knew her cousin better than anybody. She had been there when his father up and left, and she had been there at his mother's funeral. After such striking events like that to a child, it was no wonder that he had almost completely closed himself off from the world.

Misao bounced as Kaoru strolled along, finally having entangled herself from the muddle of limbs in the hug she had given Kaoru.

"So, what's your new place like? Is it big? Have you completely moved in? Is it…" She lowered her voice dramatically.

"_**Haunted**_?"

Kaoru's eyes widened suddenly, and the image of haunting amber eyes replayed itself in her head, causing her to stop in her tracks. Her fingers went towards her neck, and she remembered the little mark she had found in the morning; it was hidden by the turtleneck that she wore now: if Misao saw it, there'd probably be hell to pay and numerous questions to answer.

Misao continued to ramble, oblivious to the fact that Kaoru had stopped, but Aoshi sounded his query.

"Kaoru?"

Aoshi's voice snapped her out of the lingering image of amber eyes and crimson hair. She blinked twice before managing a weak smile at the pair.

"Sorry about that. I was just zoning out about…something." Aoshi's response was to quirk an eyebrow up at her and her flushed face, but he said nothing on the subject. Misao on the other hand, was very worried about her friend.

"Are you okay Kaoru? Have you not been eating enough or something? Are you ill? Here, I've got some aspirin here somewhere…" The younger girl proceeded to go through the pockets of her blue coat before Kaoru reassured her that nothing was wrong. Misao finally relented after making Kaoru promise that she would come to the Shirobeko if she wanted to eat a nice, warm meal with someone. Kaoru allowed Misao to drag her off without uttering a sound, but as they continued walking down the street, Kaoru couldn't help but turn her head. There was nothing of significance there, but she could have sworn that she had felt the striking gaze of someone's eyes on her. She could have _sworn_ that it was some type of déjà vu, could have sworn that she had heard that single drawn-out whisper in her head that seemed so right.

* * *

_"Kaoru…"_

The brunette shook her head and continued down the street.

Amethyst eyes trailed trio of the two women and the man as they moved further and further away from him. Himura Kenshin's eyes seemed to be glued onto the woman with gorgeous cerulean eyes, shadow black raven hair bound up in a pony tail and definitely a to-die-for body that was evident even under the many layers of winter clothing she wore. Her very presence seemed to draw him in, and he longed to just go over and…

Wait a minute. What was he doing here fantasising about some girl – albeit a _very_ hot one – who had just walked down the street and who had caught his eye? She was probably a college student, and would want to have nothing to do with the likes of him. Shaking his head to clear the image of the desirable young woman, he moved from the shadow of the dark alley into the weak sunlight of dying winter. The light brought out the soft auburn colour of his hair, emphasising the tinges of gold in the locks. The young professor heaved a sigh, his breath puffing into the frigid air of morning before he took the road opposite from which Kaoru had taken. This was no time for him to be thinking about beautiful women when there were so many other pressing matters he had to attend to before the new semester at Kyoto-dai started. Grimacing at the thought of the mountain of paperwork which awaited him back in his office, he pulled his black leather coat closer around him and shelved the thoughts of the blue-eyed beauty…

For now.

A/N: Like? Hate? Review and let me know.


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